Published On : Mon, Mar 20th, 2017

EC to hear battle for the leaves on March 22

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AIADMK symbol

Chennai: If we could move our attention away from UP (for a bit) where it remains frozen since a Yogi assumed office over the weekend, there’s news from Tamil Nadu.

The twin leaf poll symbol of the AIADMK is likely to be frozen. Neither of the warring camps be it TTV Dinakaran or O Panneerselvam are likely to get the right to use the symbol during the RK Nagar assembly bypoll being held in April 2017. The seat fell vacant after J Jayalalithaa’s death.

A full bench of the Election Commission is slated to hear the issue on March 22 at the Election Commission HQ in New Delhi. Lawyers Kapil Sibal and Mohan Parasaran are arguing for the Sasikala (TTK Dinankaran) faction and their contention is that Sasikala is still general secretary and she is entitled to sign the AIADMK poll symbol.

Whereas the O Panneerselvam camp (candidate E Madhusudhanan), represented by advocate Balaji argues that Sasikala was suspended by Jayalalithaa and for five years Sasikala was not a member of the AIADMK.

The EC has sought supporting documents by March 20.

In the ongoing tug of war for AIADMK party symbol, the O Panneerselvam camp on Friday submitted a petition to Election Commission requesting allotment of the twin-leaf to the faction for the upcoming RK Nagar bypoll.

The move comes just a day after a delegation of VK Sasikala camp led by party leader and Lok Sabha deputy speaker M Thambidurai submitted a memorandum to the EC requesting “not to entertain” the dissenting cadres, who have staked claim to the AIADMK symbol.